E-Signature Law Receives Vote of Confidence

In a report released in late June, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Commerce advised Congress against making any modifications to the e-commerce law enacted last year, officially known as the Electronic Signature in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN).

“It is reasonable to conclude that, thus far, the benefits of the consumer consent provision of ESIGN outweigh the burdens of its implementation on electronic commerce, and that the provision appears to be working satisfactorily at this stage of the Act’s implementation,” says the study, according to a report in the E-Commerce Times.

At the same time, however, the FTC and the Department of Commerce did concede that the law’s full impact has not yet hit consumers and businesses and that no analyses have as yet been completed on the effect of ESIGN on Internet-based consumer fraud.

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